Guenther Steiner has acknowledged an under-the-radar F1 driver who overcame his troublesome car🥀.

The former Haas F1 team principal was asked to name ‘who did the most wi🧔th the leasꦆt’ in 2024 on The Red Flags Podcast.

T𝔍he nominees were Zhou Guanyu, Pierre Gasly, Nico Hulkenberg, the Williams mechanics or Max Verstappen.

Steiner swiftly ruled o💃ut Zhou, who has lost his F1 seat for 2ꦰ025, saying: “No, he didn’t do anything! He had one good race. I must admit he did one very good race.

“But the rest? He didn’t do a lot.

“I am between Pierre and the mechanics of Williams, those poor b*****! They had their💜 work cut out! They went beyond.”

But Steiner made his pick.

“Pierre, I will go with him,” he said about tﷺhe Alpine driver.

Pierre Gasly feted for impressive 2024

“He did🌃 the most with the least,” Steiner said about Gasly.

“He 🎃had a s*** car but they came in sixth, and that’s thanks to him.

“The credit goes to David Sanchez, the guy who came from McLaren and was with 🧸F🥀errari before.

“He had some knowledge. David said ‘we need to go this way, to get ♏to the end of the season with som🅰ething that works’.

“He was the key, David.”

Alpine finished sixt🌺h in the constructors’ champion🍒ship, matching their 2023 result.

That is despite a worr📖ying start to the 2024 season whic🐈h left Gasly and teammate Esteban Ocon scratching their heads and bemoaning their car.

Alpine were also♎ forced to deal with th𓆉eir drivers colliding in Monaco.

That was the beginning of🌼 the end for Ocon, who was ditched and has moved to Steiner’s oldꦬ team Haas for 2025.

Gasly will welcome Jack Doohan as his rookie teammate thiওs year.

Notably, F1 veteran Flavioಌ Briatore joined Alpine in a senior role last year and is deterಌmined to improve the fortunes of the midfield team.